Alyxia

Location & distribution maps

Phylogeny & links to associated information

Wikipedia links:       Angiosperms  > Eudicots > Asterids > Gentianales > Apocynaceae > Alyxia 

Other links:    

A oblongata,    A ruscifolia

Plant  information

Common name:                ...  

Conservation status:  ...

Etymology:   

Flowers:                  

Fruit:                         

Leaves:         

Stem & branches: 

Roots:         

Habit:        

Habitat:   

Distribution:                  

Species:                     

• World:           

• Australia:     

Additional notes:     

Common name:                 

Conservation status:  unknown

Etymology:   

Flowers:                  

• The inflorescence is axillary or terminal with solitary flowers or simple cymes

• Flowers consist of five petals and five sepals

• The flowers have a slender tube which expands abruptly

• The stamens have short filaments and are inserted in the upper half of the corolla

Fruit:                         

• The fruit is a pair of drupes, originating from each flower

Leaves:         

• The leaves are opposite or in whorls of three to seven

• There are colleters (groups or tufts of mucilaginous secretory hairs) present in the leaf axils. 

Stem & branches: 

Roots:         

Habit:        

Habitat:   

Distribution:                  

Species:                     

• World:           120

• Australia:     8

Additional notes:     

• Alyxia is an Australasian genus of flowering plant in the dogbane family, Apocynaceae

• It contains at present 106 species, but Alyxia stellata and A. tisserantii are very variable, might be cryptic species complexes, and are need of further study

• It consists of shrubby, climbing or scrambling plant

• This genus occurs in China, the Himalayas, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Caledonia and the Pacific Islands

• There are 14 species in Australia, 21 in New Caledonia and 7 in the other Pacific Islands, including Hawai

• Use

  • Dysentery bush (A. buxifolia) is used in herbalism and was made into a patented remedy by Albert Aspinall. Maile (A. oliviformis), endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, has sweet-smelling leaves and is much used for lei; formerly it was reserved for aliʻi (nobility), but today it can be used by anyone and is a popular wedding decoration on the islands.

  • Maile also provides food for Thyrocopa caterpillars and belid weevils of the genus Proterhinus. Alyxia spp. are also used in Jamu.

• The following is a list of Alyxia species accepted by Plants of the World Online as at September 2021:

  • Alyxia acuminata K.Schum. (New Guinea)

  • Alyxia angustifolia Ridl. (Malaysia, Philippines)

  • Alyxia angustissima Merr. & Quisumb. (Philippines)

  • Alyxia annamensis Pit. (Indo-China)

  • Alyxia arfakensis Kaneh. & Hatus. (New Guinea)

  • Alyxia baillonii Guillaumin (New Caledonia)

  • Alyxia balansae Pit. (China, Vietnam)

  • Alyxia bracteolosa Rich. ex A.Gray (south-west Pacific Ocean)

  • Alyxia buxifolia R.Br. – dysentery bush, sea box (South Australia)

  • Alyxia cacuminum Markgr. (New Guinea)

  • Alyxia caletioides (Baill.) Guillaumin (New Caledonia)

  • Alyxia celebica D.J.Middleton (Sulawesi)

  • Alyxia clusiophylla (Baill.) Guillaumin (New Caledonia)

  • Alyxia composita Warb. (New Guinea)

  • Alyxia concatenata (Blanco) Merr. (Philippines)

  • Alyxia cylindrocarpa Guillaumin (New Caledonia)

  • Alyxia defoliata Markgr. (New Guinea)

  • Alyxia efatensis Guillaumin (Vanuatu)

  • Alyxia erythrosperma Gillespie (Fiji)

  • Alyxia evansii D.J.Middleton (Northern Territory)

  • Alyxia fascicularis (Wall. ex G.Don) Benth. ex Hook.f. (India, Thailand)

  • Alyxia floribunda Markgr. (New Guinea)

  • Alyxia funingensis Tsiang & P.T.Li (China, Myanmar)

  • Alyxia ganophylla Markgr. (Malaysia, Borneo)

  • Alyxia glaucophylla Van Heurck & Müll.Arg. (New Caledonia)

  • Alyxia globosa D.J.Middleton (Sulawesi)

  • Alyxia graciliflora D.J.Middleton (Papua New Guinea)

  • Alyxia gracilis (Wall. ex A.DC.) Benth. ex Hook.f. (India, Bangladesh)

  • Alyxia grandis P.I.Forst. (Queensland)

  • Alyxia gynopogon Roem. & Schuit. (Norfolk Island)

  • Alyxia hainanensis Merr. & Chun (China, Vietnam)

  • Alyxia halmaheirae Miq. (Sulawesi to Maluku)

  • Alyxia hurlimannii Guillaumin (New Caledonia)

  • Alyxia ilicifolia F.Muell. (Queensland)

  • Alyxia kaalaensis Boiteau (New Caledonia)

  • Alyxia kabaenae Markgr. (Sulawesi)

  • Alyxia kendarica Markgr. (Sulawesi)

  • Alyxia kwalotabaa D.J.Middleton (Bismarck Archipelago)

  • Alyxia lackii D.J.Middleton (Sulawesi)

  • Alyxia lamii Markgr. (New Guinea)

  • Alyxia laurina Gaudich. (New Guinea)

  • Alyxia leucogyne Van Heurck & Müll.Arg. (New Caledonia)

  • Alyxia linearis Markgr. (Philippines)

  • Alyxia loeseneriana Schltr. (New Caledonia)

  • Alyxia longiloba D.J.Middleton (Papua New Guinea)

  • Alyxia luzonensis Merr. (Philippines)

  • Alyxia magnifolia F.M.Bailey (Queensland)

  • Alyxia manusiana D.J.Middleton (Bismarck Archipelago)

  • Alyxia margaretae Boiteau (New Caledonia)

  • Alyxia marginata Pit. (Cambodia, Vietnam)

  • Alyxia markgrafii Tsiang (New Guinea)

  • Alyxia menglungensis Tsiang & P.T.Li (China)

  • Alyxia microphylla Markgr. (New Guinea)

  • Alyxia minutiflora D.J.Middleton (Sulawesi)

  • Alyxia monticola C.B.Rob. (Taiwan, Philippines)

  • Alyxia mucronata D.J.Middleton (New Caledonia)

  • Alyxia muguma D.J.Middleton (Philippines)

  • Alyxia mujongensis Markgr. (Borneo)

  • Alyxia multistriata Markgr. (New Guinea)

  • Alyxia nathoi Trân Ðinh Lý

  • Alyxia oblongata Domin (New Guinea, Queensland)

  • Alyxia obovatifolia Merr. (Philippines)

  • Alyxia oleifolia King & Gamble (Malesia)

  • Alyxia oppositifolia Boiteau (New Caledonia)

  • Alyxia orophila Domin (Queensland)

  • Alyxia oubatchensis (Schltr.) Guill. ex Boiteau (New Caledonia)

  • Alyxia palawanensis Markgr. (Borneo, Philippines, Sulawesi)

  • Alyxia papuana D.J.Middleton (Papua New Guinea)

  • Alyxia parvifolia (Merr.) Merr. (Philippines)

  • Alyxia pilosa Miq. (Malaysia)

  • Alyxia podocarpa Van Heurck & Müll.Arg. (New Caledonia)

  • Alyxia poyaensis (Boiteau) D.J.Middleton (New Caledonia)

  • Alyxia pseudosinensis Pit. (Indo-China)

  • Alyxia pugio Markgr. (Papua New Guinea)

  • Alyxia pullei Markgr. (New Guinea)

  • Alyxia punctata Kaneh. & Hatus. (New Guinea)

  • Alyxia purpureoclada Kaneh. & Hatus. (New Guinea)

  • Alyxia racemosa Pit. (Vietnam)

  • Alyxia reinwardtii Blume (China, Philippines, Bali)

  • Alyxia ridleyana Wernham (New Guinea)

  • Alyxia rostrata Markgr. (New Guinea)

  • Alyxia royeniana Wernham (New Guinea)

  • Alyxia rubricaulis Baill. Guimaumin (New Caledonia)

  • Alyxia ruscifolia R.Br. (Australia) – chain fruit

  • Alyxia sarasini Guimaumin (New Caledonia)

  • Alyxia scabrida Markgr. (Papua New Guinea)

  • Alyxia schlechteri H.Lév. (China, Thailand)

  • Alyxia semipallescens F. Muell. (New Guinea)

  • Alyxia siamensis Craib (China, Indo-China)

  • Alyxia sinensis Champ. ex Benth. (China, Vietnam, Taiwan)

  • Alyxia sleumeri Markgr. (New Guinea)

  • Alyxia sogerensis Wernham ex S.Moore (New Guinea)

  • Alyxia solomonensis D.J.Middleton (Solomon Islands)

  • Alyxia spicata R.Br.

  • Alyxia squamulosa C.Moore & F.Muell.

  • Alyxia stellata (J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.) Roem. & Schult.

  • Alyxia sulana Markgr. (Sulawesi, Maluku)

  • Alyxia tetanifolia Cranfield (Western Australia)

  • Alyxia tetraquetra Markgr. (New Guinea)

  • Alyxia thailandica D.J.Middleton (Thailand)

  • Alyxia tisserantii Montrouz. (New Caledonia)

  • Alyxia torquata Baill. Guimaumin (New Caledonia)

  • Alyxia tropica (P.I.Forst.) D.J.Middleton (Northern Territory)

  • Alyxia uniflora D.J.Middleton (Sulawesi)

  • Alyxia veillonii D.J.Middleton (New Caledonia)

  • Alyxia vera D.J.Middleton (Maluku)

Australian species:

1. A buxifolia

2. Alyxia ilicifolia Native Holly

3. A grandis

4. Alyxia magnifolia Large-leaf Chain Fruit A. ilicifolia ssp. magnifolia was known as A. magnifolia from 1910-92

5. Alyxia oblangata Chainfruit (narrow leaved)

6. A orophila

7. Alyxia ruscifolia Chainfruit 

8. Alyxia sharpei

9. A spicata

10. A tetrafolia

At the ANBG:

1. Alyxia buxifolia FiA

2. Alyxia ilicifolia FiA

3. Alyxia magnifolia A. ilicifolia ssp. magnifolia was known as A. magnifolia from 1910-92

4. Alyxia oblongata

5. Alyxia orophila FiA

6. Alyxia ruscifolia FiA

7. Alyxia tropica

Sources of information:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alyxia (2023)

• Flora in Australia, Vol 28, 1996, pp 125-133

Sources of information:

• (2023)